Coalition Planes Bomb Barracks in N. Iraq

Published 6:00 pm, Sunday, March 23, 2003

Coalition warplanes bombed a military barracks in northern Iraq on Monday, prompting frightened residents to flee the area.

At least six bombs struck Iraqi positions with such force that the ground shook and windows were shattered about three miles away in the city of Chamchamal. Huge plumes of smoke rose over the area.

A small number of residents who had not yet fled the area started to pack up and leave. Cars, buses and taxis streamed onto the main road out of the town.

"People are evacuating, but not because of the bombing. They are afraid Saddam will respond with chemical weapons," said Ahmad Qafoor, a schoolteacher.

Warplanes continued to fly overhead after the first wave of bombings that struck the Bani Maqem barracks, close to the line that separates the Kurdish-held area, including Chamchamal, from territory under the control of Saddam Hussein.